FROM THIS EPISODE

Officials in Missouri announced this week they will re-examine a controversial case of alleged rape. A 14-year old girl and her family were blamed and bullied, and the local prosecutor dropped felony charges. Is it an isolated incident, or a case that’s all too familiar?

Also, Saudi Arabia rejects an offer to join the UN Security Council, and a Jewish-American writer tries to meet the Palestinian bomber who almost killed his wife.

For years, Saudi Arabia has campaigned for a seat on the UN Security Council. Yesterday—for the first time in history—it was finally elected. But, in an unprecedented act of protest, it refused to accept.

In Maryville, Missouri, the case of last year’s alleged rape of 14-year-old Daisy Coleman will be re-examined after the Kansas City Star raised disturbing questions in an investigative report on Saturday.

Last year, the 14-year-old cheerleader claims she was raped by a football star at a drunken high school party. When the town found out, she got the blame. Her mother lost her job and the family home was burned down. The Sheriff says there was evidence for a strong rape case, but the DA refused to prosecute. Investigative reporting has raised disturbing questions, and this week came an announcement: the case will be re-examined. It was one incident in small-town Missouri—but some see a broader pattern of toleration for sexual assault, especially when male athletes are involved.

When they lived in Jerusalem, David Harris-Gershon’s wife, Jamie, was nearly killed by a Palestinian bomber. Others died. When the bomber was tried, neither Jamie nor David wanted to go to the courtroom. But after they’d moved back to the US and had two children, David was still haunted by the event. The result is a book called, What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife?